Letting off Steam

We can so easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, hardly making any time to deal with the high levels of stress and negative emotions that often accompany such a fast-paced lifestyle. It is important to not keep all that pressure locked up – it will make you explode! So here are some practical tips for letting off some steam.

1. 1. Take a moment – Our brain is trained to find the shortest and easiest way to carry out a task. It then stores this blueprint to memory, so that in the future we can use it again. This neat trick is useful, in that we do not have to retrain our brains daily to carry out tasks such as walking, talking, reading and writing. The down side of this, however, is that our brains follow the same pattern for our everyday stressors. That means even if you don’t want to be stressed about that first-thing-in-the-morning meeting, you can’t help it! Your brain is hardwired to do exactly that. By taking a moment out of your day to just be, you force your brain to get off the beaten track, which in turn can make you feel less stressed.
2. Exercise – On a physiological level, our bodies have to sustain this “get up and go” stress attitude and they do so by producing copious amounts of adrenaline and cortisol. This is wonderful (if you need to run away from a lion) but not so helpful when you want to reach a state of rest and digest. Regular exercise gives your body the opportunity to use all the extra adrenaline, in turn giving you a more relaxed feeling. Not to mention regular exercise releases endorphins which give you that all-round good feeling!
3. Listen to music – Play me a song and I will tell you how you feel… Music has a way of bypassing all our brain’s emotional firewalls and hitting us right in the feels. This is not always a bad thing and music can also be used to uplift our spirits. So pump that volume – we all know you know the words to Barbie Girl!
4. Read a book – Sometimes when our own reality seems a bit overwhelming, it may be good to escape into an alternate universe for an hour or so. This is not running away from your problems, it is merely giving your stressed brain a bit of a break. Reading is an excellent cognitive rest activity and it makes you smarter. That, my friends, is what I call a win-win situation!
5. Connect with you inner child – We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. When last did you blow bubbles, or make your own pizza, or even play a harmless prank on someone? Life does not always need to be so serious! Sometimes we need to see the world as a child, just to get back some perspective. Go have some fun!!!
6. De-clutter – No I am not trying to manipulate you to do your house work, but surprisingly, it does help. By cleaning and organizing things we acquire a sense of achievement. Getting rid of things that we don’t need leaves us with more space for new and exciting things. House work can also be very cathartic, thus relaxing and energizing us. Who knew a mop could do all that?!
7. Learn more – When we know more about people, situations or things, our approaches towards them may change significantly. Therefore, do yourself a big favor and read more about investments, cooking, DIY, life skills or anything else. It is a very positive way to channel all of that energy.

We live in a fast-paced world, there is no denying that, but we are not merely passengers in our lives – we have some control in how much we get out of it.